Electrical cable and processing tool



July 5, 1960 'F. L. SHANNON 2,943,391

ELECTRICAL CABLE AND PROCESSING TOOL Filed Sept. 3, 1957 fl'nvcnl'ot" Fwd 1251104111011 United States Patent ELECTRICAL CABLE AND PROCESSING TOOL Fred L. Shannon, 1442 Henderson Ave., Des Moines, Iowa Filed Sept. 3, 1957, Ser. No. 681,784

1 Claim. (Cl. 3091) This invention relates to an electrical cable processing tool and, more particularly, to a tool that will cut the cable jacket and strip insulation from the exposed wire or wires of the cable.

One of the most used electrical wire is the type generally known as Romex. Such wiring has two wire strands, each encased in a rubberlike insulation and with both strands imbedded in a single fabric-like jacket. The usual procedure, in using such wiring, is to slit the jacket at its end area with a knife to expose the two insulated wires. This slitting of the jacket is not easily accomplished due to the toughness of the jacket, and also due to the fact that the cable is of round construction in cross section. After the jacket has been opened, it is then necessary to remove the individual wire insulation from the two wires, at their end areas, so that such end areas may be secured to the contact points of the item to which the cable is to furnish electrical current. This insulation is even more difficult to remove than the jacket, inasmuch as it is of much smaller diameter and also due to its resiliency. The result is that the processing of the end of an electrical cable is not only tedious, dangerous, and time-consuming, but the metallic Wires may be seriously cut or damaged in the process.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a tool that will easily, quickly and safely slit the jacket of an electrical cable and remove the individual insulation at the end areas of the wires.

A further object of this invention is to provide an end area conditioning tool for electrical cables that may be used without danger of damaging the metal wires of the cable.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide an electrical cable end conditioning tool that is economical in manufacture, durable in use, and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my device ready for use,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front end view of my tool showing its use for slitting the jacket of an electrical cable,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view of the device taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the device and more fully illustrates its construction, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the head portion of my tool being used to remove the insulation from a wire strand.

In the drawings, I have used the numeral to designate the fabric-like jacket of an electrical cable embracing the two metallic wire strands 11 and 12. Each wire strand is individually embraced by a rubber-like insula- "ice tion 25, sometimes called spaghetti. The numeral 13 designates the handle portion of my device having substantially a rectangular head portion 14. The numeral 15 designates a bracket hook member integrally formed on the bottom of the head portion 14. This hook member extends first downwardly, thence laterally under the head portion, and then upwardly to provide with the underside of the head portion a passageway 16, and which extends rearwardly in the general direction of the handle 13, as shown in Fig. 2. However, this passageway 16 extends not only rearwardly, but also slightly upwardly relative to the longitudinal length of the handle, as shown in Fig. 3. The free end of the hook member is spaced from the head portion to provide the side. opening 17, as shown in Fig. 1. Also extending downwardly on the head portion and directly above the free end of the hook memher is a cable retaining flange 18, as shown in Fig. 2. In the forward end of the head portion is a vertical slot 19 resting in a plane bisecting the center plane of the passageway 16. The numeral 20 designates a cutting blade detachably resting in the slot 19 and having its lower end extending downwardly and forwardly in the upper area of the passageway 16. This blade 20 has its cutting area longitudinal of the length of the handle and is held in place in the head by screws, or like, 21, threaded into the head portion and engaging its side surface. To slit the jacket 10 of a cable, the free end portion of the cable is loosely extended rearwardly through the passageway 16. This may be accomplished by threading the cable back through the passageway 16, or by laterally placing it through the opening 17. With the cable in place in the passageway 16, it is merely necessary to raise the outer end of the handle relative to the cable length, as shown in Fig. 3, to force the blade point into the jacket 10. This point of penetration will be directly between the two wires 11 and 12, as shown in Fig. 2. It is then only necessary to pull rearwardly on the tool, causing the blade to slit the jacket to the end of the cable and thereby expose the two insulated wires 11 and 12. The slit cut in the jacket will be straight and centered on the cable. With the free end areas of wires exposed, the next problem is the removal of the insulation 25 from the end areas of the wires. The numeral 22 designates a stripping blade detachably secured on the front end of .the head portion by cap screws 23 or like. This blade has its horizontal cutting edge extending above the top plane of the head portion and is transversely of the handle portion. The bevel 24 of the cutting edge of the blade extends downwardly and forwardly and has two one-half circle notches 26 and 27, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2. These two notches register with the two groove cable tracks 28 and 29, respectively, in the top of the flat top head portion of the tool, as shown in Fig. 4.

To strip the insulation from the free end area of a wire strand, it is extended rearwardly through a notch of the blade 22, and caused to rest in the registering groove cable track, as shown in Fig. 5. The thumb of the hand of the user is pressed downwardly on the insulation, engaging the groove cable track and the tool jerked rearwardly relative to the electrical cable. This action causes the blade 22 to cut through the insulation and the notch to retain all that insulation that lays back of the blade 22 and under the thumb. The metallic wire, however, is not held and it slides forwardly of and from the tool minus its insulation on its rear end area. The processing, therefore, of both the end area of the cable jacket and the cable insulation is most rapid. In neither operation is there any danger of the hand of the user contacting the cutting blades. The metal wire is never out nor damaged.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my electrical cable and processing tool without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may bereasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

In an electrical cable endprocessing tool, a handle portion, a head portionon the forward end of said handle, a hook member extending from said head portion first downwardly, then laterally and then upwardly, and providing with said head portion a passageway, the free end of said hook member being; spaced apart from said head portionto provide between its end and saidhead portion a-rcable side entrance,ra's1ot in said head portion, a blade in said slot having its cutting portion extending downwardly and forwardly and extending into said passageway; and a flange on said headportion extending 4 toward the free endof said hook member; said handle extending in the general direction of said passageway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

